Smoothest Ride under 35k

John S. wrote:
For two or three short local trips a DP is overkill. It will cost you more in the long run. A tag along is better for those. I have two Motorhomes and use then over half the year. Last year I was in them over 260 days. I also put on over 30k mikes a year plus. The kids wanted to get one and they go out three or four times a year and never more then 200 miles. I look at the cost difference between then and said wow. I. Know this is not what you want to here but if you are worried about a good deal on a DP and are so concerned on price the fridge on a 99 is beating the end of its life. That is 3k the tires will be another 3 and you will have to start watching your fuel lines for leaks. The radiators are another area of concern and that is about 6 k. The airbags are bearing the end of their service life too. You might get another few years as well. There is a reason it is cheaper but owning a DP is not for the faint of heart or light of wallet. I have a highline coach. I have just replaced all but the airbags but are watching those. I try to do the big jobs before failure but at the end of the service life. The radiator was failing and needed to be recorded or replaced. I noticed it was running to warm and not cooling down fast enough. So, you can watch and read and research but it will not change the fact that running these machines costs money. My 24 foot class c has nowhere near the expenses that my diesel has had. It us not as comfortable or driven as far but if I could only have one I would still take the DP as I put on too many mikes for a gas motorhome. If I add the gas milage to my DP milage I am well over 400,000 miles.

glamisorbust wrote:
When is the RV show? The rv you're looking at may be gone by the time you want to buy it. Usually, if it's a good deal and a clean unit, it will sell fast. When I saw mine, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to buy it. I spent several hours looking it over and found no problems. The older man I bought it from had no problem running me through every single system on board. It was a lot of fun learning how everything works. Even funner driving it for the first time. I just remember thinking to myself "I can't belive I got this good of a deal on this" as I was driving away!

glamisorbust wrote:
Also, don't buy one without at least one slide. Makes it much nicer to use and much easier to sell if you want to. The HR endeavor is about the best deal around. Very well built. Feels very solid driving it. The inside amenities are very nice too. Check the tire date codes(google it to find out how to read the numbers). If the tires are at all questionable either by age or wear, that is a negotiation tool. Tires are anywhere from $2500-3500 and they need to be replaced every 7 years. Hope you get it!

Deano56 wrote:

2bzy2c wrote:
Below is a 2000 Monaco Diplomat on auction. The reserve has been met at 12K

Monaco Diplomat

lots of repair to be done on this one

glamisorbust wrote:
Even though you like the gas motorhome you are looking at, I would hold off and keep looking. I had literally been looking on craigslist every day for two months for a deal to present itself. I had a 1994 georgie boy pursuit 28' chevy 454 gas engine and a 4kw kohler generator. It ran ok but definitely did not have enough power. The generator was underneath the kitchen so you still heard it but not too loud. The engine roaring and getting hot between the two passengers is one part I did not like. In the DP, you can literally talk in a low voice, with the generator running and be able to hear each other clearly. Much, much different from a gas engine. Also, the heat and exhaust are all out back, behind you. Now, there are drawbacks to the diesel. Like if someone wants to sleep on the back bed going down the highway, the engine is right underneath you and producing quite a bit of noise and heat. I have slept on one and didn't get much sleep going down the road. Too bouncy back there anyways, on either the gas or diesel version. Now, my dad bought a 2001 HR endeavor about 4 years ago. It came all setup to tow and also came with a 2001 jeep liberty. His has a larger cat 350, larger tires, 10 lug wheels and an extra slide out back. But he also paid $55k for his package, and I paid $32k for mine. I would look at ebay but be sure you can look the unit over in person before you buy it. Craigslist is where the best deals can be found. The people I sold my '94 georgie boy to were clueless to RV's so I spent about half the day running them through every system on it. They were very grateful for me doing that. Make sure the seller is not rushing you through anything. If they do that probably means they are hiding something. Helps to take a friend with you to maybe see things you don't.